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Laker Games We’re Looking Forward To

So as you have seen earlier this week from our man, Zephid, he had a breakdown of the Lakers’ season schedule. As he had mentioned, the Lakers have 16 back-to-backs. Also of note is that the Lakers are starting their schedule out home-friendly as usual; 9 of their first 11 games are at the comfort of Staples Center. And their longest road trip is during that annual Grammy road trip; they will have a 7-game trek out of Staples. I’m just glad that we’re back to the normal, spread-out 82-game schedule so there will be none of those wacky back-to-back-to-backs.

So what games do we have marked on our calendars? I asked the Forum Blue & Gold Crew on what three games they are looking forward to the most. Let me start it off then I’ll have the rest of the guys take it from there.

R.R. MAGELLAN

OCT. 31 @ PORTLAND: We know that the Blazers and their fans always get up for the Lakers. Even though they’re kind of going through a rebuilding phase at the moment, they have their prized rookie point guard, Dame Lillard. He dominated Summer League and I’m curious how he’ll do on his very first NBA game. And what a test it’ll be for him.

FEB. 7 @ BOSTON: It’d be kind of silly if we DON’T have this marked on our calendars. We know how this goes. Lakers Vs Celtics. And this will be their first meeting of the season (they meet again on February 20). It’s a revamped Laker team against a revamped Celtic team. They may no longer have that “Big 4” but they still have Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. And they now have Jason Terry, who has climbed his way amongst the ranks of “Laker enemies.” Either of these teams haven’t won a title since 2010 but that doesn’t make this game any less compelling.

APR. 7 @ L.A. CLIPPERS: This is the final meeting in four games between these Los Angeles teams but this one is deep into the season and can have some major playoff implications. I expect the Clippers and the Lakers to fight tooth and nail for playoff positioning and the division championship throughout the year. And with the rivalry only growing, this is a must-watch for me.

Okay, dudes. Take it.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –ZEPHID

DEC. 7 @ OKLAHOMA CITY: The Lakers first return trip to the place where they got knocked out of the playoffs last season. How will the old, new-look Lakers match up with the young, same-look Thunder? Who is MWP going to foul hard in the first 10 seconds to set the tone?

JAN. 30 @ PHOENIX: Steve Nash’s return to Phoenix. How will the Suns crowd receive him, and will Kobe continue to put on a show against the Suns, even with 100% of those SSOL Suns gone?

FEB. 20 v BOSTON: In the first game back after the All-Star break, will the Lakers look sharp for the stretch run against their hated rivals, or will they come out lethargic? Who is MWP going to foul hard in the first 10 seconds to set the tone? (Who am I kidding? We all know it’s gonna be Paul Pierce.)

DAVE M.

NOV. 2 v L.A. CLIPPERS: I would have had a Friday night game against the Clippers penciled in anyway but there’s the matter of Lamar Odom and Grant Hill. I’m always intrigued by player dynamics, old friendships, history, rivalries, whatever. Here, it’s more than that – it’s Lamar coming off a train wreck of a season with Dallas and returning to the team that drafted him, and memories of his younger days with Brand, Maggette, and the Kandi-man.

DEC. 7 @ OKLAHOMA CITY: By this point, the weather will be getting nice and chilly, and another great Friday night match-up for a nationally televised game. Any game against the Thunder will be one to watch this year. They’re an elite team, they stand in our way, they have been denying us, and this one will be on their turf. We get to see what we’re made of here.

APR. 14 v SAN ANTONIO: This is all the way at the tail end, the second to last game on the schedule. Anything can have happened by this point. It could easily be one of those games where Pop rests his starters but we won’t know the playoff implications until we get there. I always look forward to the Spurs match-ups; there’s a lot of history, veterans against veterans, and watching Popovich coach is one of the great joys in basketball for me.

J.M. POULARD

NOV. 23 @ MEMPHIS: The Lakers will face their first true physical test at the Grindhouse on the road when they take on a tough and physical Grizzlies team that features too bruising big men in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. It may be an early season game, but this will be one of the team’s first big tests of the young season and it will give Mike Brown a semblance of idea to how his roster responds to a a team whose identity is all about hustle.

DEC. 13 @ NEW YORK: Kobe Bryant has very few years left in the league, which also means that his trips to Madison Square Garden are close to coming to an end. With Spike Lee in the building as well as a passionate Knicks crowd, expect Kobe to have a game to remember at the Garden.

JAN. 20 @ TORONTO: Steve Nash makes his lone appearance in Canada when the Lakers travel to take on the Toronto Raptors. For whatever reason, the Raptors have had a knack for playing well against the Lakers at the ACC but have seen Kobe burn them repeatedly down the stretch of games. Combine that with perhaps some mixed reactions from the fans in attendance about Nash picking Los Angeles over Toronto — an easy decision really — and, well, we have something close to resembling a playoff setting.

PHILLIP BARNETT

OCT. 30 v DALLAS: There are few things I love over the course of an NBA season than opening night. As someone as consumed with the NBA as much as I am, the off-season always makes the days move at a snail’s pace. It’s not the most glamorous Opening Night game, but it’s a return to hoops and hopefully the beginning of another title run.

FEB. 5 @ BROOKLYN: It’ll be the first time the Lakers play in the new Barclay’s Arena against the New Je… er Brooklyn Nets. I’m not as interested in the matchup as I am in the newness of the arena and the jerseys.

FEB. 14 v L.A. CLIPPERS: We saw how chippy the Lakers/Clippers matches were last season, this year they’ll get to play on Valentine’s day for the collective heart of the city (cue Jay-Z). Point God v. Point God. Blake Griffin trying to murder the Lakers front line. Kobe. Staples Center. Divisional positioning. What more could you ask for?

EMILE AVANESSIAN

NOV. 2 v L.A. CLIPPERS: Finally!

Lamar Odom once again playing home games at Staples Center. Steve Nash and Grant Hill back under the same roof. Sort of. The two best point guards of the past decade – both acquired via trade by the Lakers, one successfully – squaring off for the first time as residents of the same building.

At long last, pro basketball in L.A. has some storylines to follow.

DEC. 13 @ NEW YORK: C’mon now! It’s New York! The city that never sleeps, Rucker, Spike Lee, the Mecca… seriously, how many opportunities does one get to grapple with a solid #7 seed, in front of 18,000 Finals-priced seats- before Christmas?

(Yeah. I’ll be in one of them. Sigh.)

Plus, our almost-40 point guard can smoke their almost-40 point guard. So that should be fun.

JAN. 30 @ PHOENIX: Barring a disappointing effort from the Lakers (crazy talk, I know, but humor me), the drama should not extend too far past the opening tip. That said, for as long as this contest is close, it will be must-see TV.

One of the greatest and most beloved players in franchise history, returning to the floor he so artfully ruled for nearly a decade, to the fans he repeatedly refused to leave in the lurch. Unfortunately for the locals, there’s not a uniform they’d less like to see him in.

As giddy as I am to have Steve Nash on the Lakers, my heart will go out to Suns fans during this one.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
So what games are you guys looking forward to the most? Discuss!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Dec. 5 @NOH: Anthony Davis talked smack about shutting Kobe down. Kobe is Austin Rivers idol and he might want to go at Kobe. Lot of motivation for Bean to have a big night plus smaller guard E. Gordon will be guarding him. Almost a guaranteed 40 that night.

Jan. 17 vs Miami: New acquisition in Nash, maybe Dwight. Kobe single handledly dominated Wade last game at Staples Wade won’t forget that. LeBron always shows out in LA. Could be game of the year. Finally we don’t get LeBron on christmas.

Feb. 1 @MIN: Kobe back at the scene of the crime vs a much improved Wolves team. Nash vs Rubio. Pau vs Love. Princeton vs Motion. This will be an exciting game.

Dec. 11 @CLE: Kobe vs Kyrie. Mike Brown’s 1st game back at his old arena.

I certainly don’t wish for you all be ‘the same’, but I question if you are being entirely sincere as opposed to ‘clever’ or ‘contrarian’ or something like that. Maybe this isn’t the standard you were using, but if you were each offered a pair of tickets to three games this season and transportation wasn’t an issue, would these really be the games you would pick?

I think the Mouse has it about right, although I’d swap the ersatz rivals – the Clips – for the real ones in green and white.

I can’t speak for the others but I’m ALWAYS excited for games AT Portland, against Boston, and against the Clippers. And while the Heat are the champs, they’re not EXACTLY the most fun team to watch. I’m certainly excited for the season opener against Dallas but I’m more excited for the first road game against an always-game Portland team. I’m excited for the first game against Boston whether it’s home or road and the Lakers/Clippers rivalry intensifies with something on the line.

And I’m sure everyone else has their own reasons for picking their games. You have your choices and we have ours.

Feb 5th @ Brooklyn: 1st ever visit to ‘Hov’s House’ .. Arguably, a match-up of the 2 best Starting Backcourts in the league (Nets GM Billy King has already proclaimed D-Will & Iso Joe as the best Starting Backcourt. I’m sure Kobe was listening) .. And last, but definitely not least, I’ll be in the building.

Feb 7th @ Boston: ‘The Rivalry’ .. It’ll be good to see how we match-up against a retooled Celtics squad who, IMO, has had the best off-season thusfar .. With a lil’ bit of luck and a couple of breaks here and there, a possible preview of the NBA Finals (as of right now, I have both teams finishing 2nd within their respective conferences).

Feb 10th @ Miami: Definitely a measuring stick game .. As Kevin mentioned earlier, Kobe vs D-Wade. Size vs Speed and an opportunity to see if an in shape Ron-Ron (I’m taking him @ his word) can slow down the best player in the ..A .. Also a possible preview of the NBA Finals.

March 5th @ OKC: Statement Game, as I believe that these 2 teams will square off in the WCF .. Love the atmosphere in that building. Always makes for an exciting game .. Also a huge fan of Kevin Durant’s.

As you can see, the games that I’m looking forward to the most are all on the road. As I believe that Adversity builds Character (something that, IMO, this team has been lacking over the last couple of years). And what better way for a team to unite and build such character, than to compete against the league’s best (probably not BK, but they’re on the come-up) in a hostile environment and come out on top. Can’t wait for this season to begin.

In my mind, I still think we need 2 guys to fill out the bench – Miles or Barbosa would be great + Mcgrady or Redd for some old wiley veteran superstar quota that we always seem to get (see mitch richmond)

even bringing back Mat Barnes could be good – don’t think he will get more anywhere else even if his exit interview wasn’t the most positive, he was still our best guy off the bench last year.

Anyone else have an understanding why EBanks is still unsigned – is that all hinging on Dwight?

lil pau – cfrom my own subjective view, yes, I am always attempting to be ‘clever’, ‘contrarian’, and all sorts of other charming qualities. I will say though, that we all had a lot of fun with our picks. These types of posts, where a number of us contribute, always generate a lot of emails back and forth, and a lot of enthusiasm. This particular writing staff is very collaborative and supportive of each other, whether it’s specific to this site, or to others that we may be involved with. Miami was an obvious choice and I seem to recall it coming up in some of the back-and-forths. It may be that it dropped off some lists when we were whittling down to 3 teams each. Regardless, we all had reasons to pick the games we did and as far as the free tickets thing – I would gladly take them to any Lakers game at all. Are you offering?

If signed, Ebanks could not be part of any trade until January 15th. This scares me that Orlando is holding out until the season starts or a couple months in because it may turn out like it did last year. We will run our squad, let them get accustom to eachother, and then make a trade that changes the dynamics of the team. We will then have to learn on the fly to adjust to eachother and then we end up losing out to teams who have been playing together longer. As a result, we waste another one of Kobe’s productive years.

The Lakers have had 2 extremely dynamic owners over the past 47 years {Cooke & Buss}. That commitment to winning starts at the top, and that is the primary reason the Lakers have been so successful.

With Jerry Buss severely slowing down at 78, and turning the team over to his less able kids {similar to the Steinbrenners}—exactly how concerned are you guys that the same desire and total commitment to win might not be there in the near future?

RedLoveChild: The whole city of LA was skeptical of Jim Buss when he took over last year and you couldn’t blame them seeing the Rudy T debacle and signings in 05. But last year he showed with the cp3 trade he thinks big and had a plan. When that trade didn’t go through and we were stuck with a team that lost it’s last game by 36 the blame had to be placed somewhere.

With the addition of Nash, Jamison, Hill and keeping the core 3 together Jim is showing his commitment to winning. Lakers still have to win on his watch but concerns about Jim taking over from Jerry can subside.

Laker fans were skeptical at the beginning of the season when he chose a new Coach w/o enough vetting from Mitch & his Dad, then fired all the staff during the lockout.

However, as the year grew older, things improved in trading slow-foot players targetted a younger PG Sessions and new blood, Hill. Still, some were still in doubt whether he would use the 8M TPE from LO’s trade. Lo and behold, he made the biggest 4th of July when Nash was announced as a Laker, very active in going for DH, re-signed Hill and invited Jamison to the fold. To this date, Lakers have the highest payroll among all teams, any addition cater for luxury taxes.

Therefore, to answer your question Laker fans are happy with the recent moves of FO and Jim Buss, I think Jim got back traditional passionof winning and gradually developing the love and respect that his his Dad has endowed in this city. Of course, it would take a Championship to gain full assimilation. Fans here are still talking of PJ legacy, Jerry West, the logo, so far only Mitch and Gary Vitti were left from the old system. Things are becoming brighter and better.

That is one of my concerns as well. I am equally concerned about trading for Howard and him not being ready until possibly January. It would create the same dynamic where the team has to work a player into the mix and readjust everything on the fly.

OKC is running on instinct at this point. Ditto for the Spurs. Ideally, the Lakers need the team they will take into the playoffs ready in September. Their margin for error is pretty slim when we consider a new offense and a new primary ball handler.

@Reds – I’d echo what Kevin said. I was dubious about Jim, especially after he cleaned house so thoroughly. His stock has risen a bit since then, he seems to be pretty serious about winning and working in tandem with Mitch. That said, he’s got a long way to go in his career and he’s been pretty candid in admitting it.

I really think it depends on when the trade happens, if it is before training camp then we don’t need to worry about mid-season changes.

I highly doubt Howard will be in Orlando at the start of the season as offers will continually be decreased for Howard as the trading deadline nears as some teams like Houston and Cleveland may be so far out of a playoff spot that they would no longer want to rent howard/bynum – it would be much harder to convine either t stay if they are only there for a month

I think that with the new CBA, even if Jerry Buss were to magically become 50 again, we will be hard-pressed to replicate the success of years past.

For example, starting 2013, teams over the salary cap will not be able to acquire players by sign-and-trade (or so I have read). So, we wouldn’t be able to replicate what we did with Nash this year.

The “hard” cap is quite different from what we have in baseball, and as such this is going to make for interesting times. The Thunder, for instance, may not be able to afford max contracts for Durant, Westbrook, Harden *and* Ibaka. Even a deep pocketed owner like Prokhorov will find his hands tied.

Ostensibly, this will lead to more parity among teams, and a good GM like Morey or Buford will make a lot of difference to the fortunes of a team. Now, what it means for *overall* revenue for the NBA remains to be seen.

I was really holding out hope that we could somehow sign Brandon Rush. Prior to free agency I saw him, OJ Mayo and Courtney Lee as three key players the Lakers could really use.

I agree with RedsLoveChild who said the Lakers have not done enough to substantially improve themselves. Steve Nash is nice but switching to another offense with this old slow team does not give me confidence against the likes of OKC or Miami. I hate to say it, but if Drew does not come back with a new hustle type attitude, we may have to sucumb to Orlando and trade for Dwight. We will have to see him in action first to make sure he has recovered. So Ebanks will be signed and any trade will not take place until mid January.

I personally don’t see CJ Miles as an improvement over Matt Barnes. His percentages are close to the same and he has never been able to make it as a starter in Utah. He couldn’t surplant a washed up Josh Howard. He did though play well in the 2009/10 playoffs which can not be said for Barnes ever.

first, ill take Miami..its a test of strength character , and numbers..the preview of 2012-2013 nba finals…
second, @OKC, the rematch of last years western finals… third, series of home & away with Boston…rivalry rekindles to its renewed moments..

I can understand that going hard after CP3 & Dwight would ease major fears about the commitment of Buss, Jr. to go for the gold.

Last question : West vs. Kupchak

Jerry West still has his “fingerprints” all over the current team. He acquired Bryant, which speaks for itself. He hired Phil Jax. In his recent book, he admitted that he quietly alerted LA that his former boss in MEM was willing to deal Pau, which was also a major heist.

West now gets paid by GS, so no more “hot” tips from him.

After 10 years of Kupchak/Buss, Jr., they drafted Bynum, not exactly a big gamble at #10.

However, what else have they really accomplished…getting head cases {Odom, Artest}, the elderly {Nash, Jamison, Payton, Malone}, getting nothing beyond Bynum from the draft?

Actually I think you can split up the TPE, as long as the split portion is being used entirely to acquire a player.
I think what you are referring to is the inability to use the TPE in conjunction with another asset to acquire one or players.

Else, our TPE in the LO trade would have been equal to Chandler’s current contract.

I couldn’t agree more – but I’m decidedly in the minority here:)
I think Kupchak is content to play it safe and settle for the high percentage shot. Ainge is definitely more of a gambler. Though Gasol was a good acquisition, as you pointed out, we had help:) Now, some of it maybe that with the weather and location, we needn’t stretch to entice Players – they want to come anyway:)
But with the new CBA, that’s not going to cut it for long.

Congratulations on the Lee steal – I would have loved to see him on this team!

He said: the logo alerted LA about Pau.
Well, it could work both ways. Memphis could choose and pick the suitable suitor for Pau but the owner then preferred to downsize and the new GM saw wisdom in going for Marc than soft Pau.

He said: Mitch did really accomplish that much.
I am a Jerry West follower and stunt critic of Cupcake during the scrub era. In fairness to Mitch, he should also measured also by accomplishments within a particular time. I remember JW quit after the ’00 Championship, so the succeeding 6 visits to the Finals and 4 Championship should be credited to Mitch.

He said: Mitch signed a couple of oldies and a couple of head cases LO and Peace.
Well, anybody who says Nash and Jamison are done…..maybe a trace of Jealousy there. Age can be overcome by performance because of acquired wisdom, so we’ll reserve that judgement in the coming games. LO & Artest were great acquisitions, they helped the Lakers to the b2b Championship in providing some boost in rebounds on LO and stinging defense from Artest. Without them and also without Drew at that time, it would be hard to accomplish the duo Championship. On the part of Shamrock, they players who are already past due. Can you compare Starbury to Nash? Grab Shaq at his lowest point and a retiring Wallace to rejuvenate them with greenies, the effect was abysmal isn’t it?

In a nutshell, I love Jerry West with respect to winning tradition of the Laker legends but the assistant Mitch was not that bad at all, he was able to deliver the owners objective in balancing the budget, acquire talents in redeeming his failures in signing scrubs and maintain competitiveness despite overwhelming opposition from majority of the envious teams.

RLC @ 16: Laker fans ’round these parts bend over backwards to try to separate the ‘Jim’ era from the ‘Jerry’ era, but the truth is that Kupchak has made it clear that every major decision and almost every minor one involves three people in the room or on the phone– himself and the two Busses. For his part, Buss Sr. has revealed that he is actively prepaying his inheritance tax so as not to burden his kids (and the franchise) with a huge hit when he dies, so there is little reason to believe a sharp Jim v. Jerry era will even exist after Jerry’s death. Much has been made in the local media re: portraying Buss Jr. as an incompetent or a playboy, but the truth is he has been learning the ropes pretty much from the ground up and, as long as Mitch is the GM, I expect the Lakers to be as aggressive as possible under the restrictions of the new CBA. If Mitch somehow gets fired, THAT is when I will believe a new era has begun; but not until then regardless of Buss Sr’s health…

By the way, what does ‘Reds Love Child’ mean? Your parents are horny Communists?

What insight would Bynum’s agent have into the phone calls Mitch Kupchak is taking/making? As an aside, earlier reports have stated that the Lakers wouldn’t allow teams to speak with Bynum’s reps until the framework of a deal was set. Said another way, teams will have to talk and lay out the parameters of a trade *before* Bynum’s reps are brought into the mix. Essentially, Lee is simply trying to insert his client’s leverage into these talks. As he’s done repeatedly with his clients over the years (remember, he’s the same agent that reps Ariza).

It seems like everyone here is more than comfortable sharing ideas with a Celtic Fanatic. I guess I am no different.

Danny did a great job this off season with all his signings and having a favorable draft but the one thing he did not have to deal with is the hatred the Lakers deal with from every other owner and GM. No one wants to deal with us even though the major coup that Mitch benefited us in the short term and Memphis in the long run as Mojo pointed out above. We also have to deal with a CBA that was designed specifically to thwart any idea the Lakers had at keeping their core intact past 2013. We would have three player who would put us at the salary cap by themselves plus one of those players will be making $30 million by himself (almost $10 million more than any other player in the league). Since basketball is unlike football, we can not restructure contracts to get under the cap. As such, we are screwed. My question to you is how would your beloved Danny Boy get out of this jam?

I will not sell Mitch too short. He was able to get rid of Derrick Fisher, Luke Walton and Jason Kapono (and pick up Sessions and Hill). He has been able to keep this team afloat without benefit of any good contributors from the draft or free agency (we do need better scouting though).

Yes, Boston has gone further in the playoffs but I beg to point out that the perfect storm happened last year (like our 2008) with Chicago losing two key starters so you play Philly instead and Miami playing without Bosh for the first 5 games. As soon as he came back, he exposed your weakness in the middle.

So instead of the C’s picking up a serviceable and experienced center (sorry Jason Collins is neither) or power forward (Chris Wilcox is limited and Brandon Bass is woefully undersized), Danny Boy drafts two young potential guys (Sullinger and Fab) and signs a slew of 2’s and 3’s. Though great pickups, how are they going to help you in the middle? Just saying. If Bass couldn’t handle Bosh do you think the kids can?

You now have four shooting guards that are pretty good. Lee will start now with the Jet coming off the bench? What is going to happen when Bradley comes back? What about Dooling? Is he relegated to being the back-up point only? Were does this leave Christmas? He is an explosive player who deserves some time.

Danny also didn’t address who backs up Paul P. Will you go small when he’s out of the game (Lee) or big (Bass)? Who guards LeBrawn, Melo and Durant?

Every team has their problems. Ours will be age and fitting together, but if we get D12 and JRich we would have the perfect complementary of pick and roll players and the right amount of depth. If not, we will still have two bigs that no one else can match, one of the top five point guards and Kobe. I like our chances against most anyone in the league.